Draft rigging



J. H. LINK DRAFT RIGGING jam@ 9, W3@

, Filed April 27, 1932 www J. H. LINK DRAFT RIGGING Jun@ 9, w3@

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 27, 193?.l

Patented June 9, 1936 TNT 1 FFIQE aoia DRAFT Broome .lohn Link, Merton, Pa., assignoruto Hi Miner, Inc., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware ADDBBJOI April 27, 1932; S'l 607,715 9 Claims. (01.3213--915I This invention relates to improvements in draft riggings especially adapted for use' in connection with mine cars.

One object of the invention is to provide a simple and eiicient means for absorbing draft and buihng shocks to which mine cars are subjected'in service, comprising relatively few parts, thereby economizing in cost of materials and labor.

10 A further' object of the invention is to provide means of the iaracter indicated in the preceding paragraph, wherein the construction and design' are greatly simplified by providing' a shock absorbing spring means of the laminated spring plate type with the spring plates arranged in a group disposed transversely of the end of the car and cooperating with a single bufng head by which said group is ilexed inwardly in buff, and also cooperating with yokeY acting means by which said group is ilexed in a reverse direction in draft.

A still further obj-ect of the invention is to provide a combined buin'g and draft means, which may be attached as a unit to the end of a mine car of usual design without making any substantial alteration or change in the construction of the car, requiring only the substitution of the unit for the ordinary bufng head and drawbar employed on such a car.

Other objects of the invention will more clearly appear from the description and claims hereinafter following.

In the drawingsfforming a part of this specioation, FigureA l is a horizontal sectional view through the end wall of a mine car,r showing adjacent parts of the car structure in plan and illustratingmy improvements in connection therewith. Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional View, similar to Figure l, corresponding substan- 40 tially to the line 2--2 of Figure 4. Figure 3 is an end elevational View, partly broken away, of the structure shown in Figure 1, looking from the left in said figure. Figures 4 and 5 are longi: tudinal, vertical sectional views, corresponding respectively to the lines 4 4 and '5 5 of Figure 1. Figure 6- is a view, similar to Figure 2, illustrate ing another embodiment of the invention. Figure l is a longitudinal, vertical sectional View, corresponding substantially to the line 1-1 of Figure 6. Figure 8 is a View, similar to Figure 2,

showing still another embodiment of the invention. Figure 9' is' an end elevational view looking from the left in Figure 8. Figure l0 is a'longitudinal, vertical sectional view, corresponding l substantially to the'line lo-Io of Figure 8. And

Figure il is a, longitudinal, vertical sectional view,- tlirough the end portion of a car', showing in elevation the combined' draft and buing mechanism illustrated in Figure 8.

In said drawings,I if! designates one end por- 5 tioii of a mineV car having the usual floor Il, eiid sill! I2, and vertical end wall I3'. The end sill l2', as shown, is in the form of an angle bar having horizontal Vand vertical flanges I4 and I5.

Referring r'st to the embodiment of the irl-'- 10 vention illustrated in Figures l to 5' inclusive, my improvementsfcomprise broadly a housing A; a buiiing head E; a yoke member C; and a laminated plate spring D.

The housing A comprises two parts Iii-I6 15 fixed to the end wall I3 of the car. Each part` I6 of the housing comprises spaced, horizontally disposed top and bottom walls ll-IL a vertical back wall I8, and a vertical side wall I9. The housing sections are secured'in position on the 26 end wall I3V of the car by means of rivets 20--20 extending through the back walls of said house i-ng portions ISl and the end wall |3Yand the end sill I2 of the car. The top and bottom wallsv Ile-tl of the two parts of the housingex- '25' tend outwardly beyond the side walls E94I9, as lclearly" shown in Figures 1- and 2. The extended portionsof the top and bottom walls are provided with vertically aligned openings ZI-ZI and The bufling head B is in the form of a solid block or casting having a curvedfront bulng face 22- a'nd a at rear abutment face 23; `As shown in- Figures l, 2; and 3,- the block B is of such a size' as to freely telescope within the tvvopart housing A. The head iswprovided with inwardly extending slots 24"-24 at opposite sides thereof, which are aligned with the vertical openings 2I22fl and 2I-2I of the top and bottom walls- I'I-ft'l4 and It-Ifi of` the two parts of the 4o' housing.- Bolts` 25-25- extend through the aligned pairs ofopeni-ngs` Zig?! and thecorrespending slot 24 at eachsideof the mechanism and Serve t0 geneest thebuing heed B t0. .the housing A so that the bufilng head has a limited 45' amount ofpmovementinwardly of the housing and is normally held againstoutward movement. Centrally the buing head is provided with an inwardly extending coupling pin receiving slot 26', which serves to guide a coupling pin hereinafter 50" described. i 'i ,Theyoke' C is arranged between the two parts' IB-fuolf the` housing and has spaced, horizon"- tally disposed top" and bottom ai'i'ns 2li-@21 con` n neted at" their inner" er'dsv by; a vertical section 5 28. At the inner end, the yoke member C normally bears `directly on the end wall 13 of the car, thereby having its inward movement limited. The top arm 21 of the yoke is provided with an outstanding lug member 29 having a forwardly projecting finger or flange 30 parallel to the arm 21 and spaced therefrom so as to accommodate a coupling link 3| therebetween. The flange 30, top arm 21, and bottom arm 21 of the yoke are provided with vertically aligned coupling pin receiving openings 32-32-32 registering with the solt 26 of the bufiing head B. The aligned openings 32-32-32 of the yoke C and the registering slot 25 of the buiiing head receive the coupling pin 33, which serves to connect the coupling link 3| to the yoke. The pin 33 also serves to restrict outward movement of the yoke C in draft by movement of the pin being limited through engagement with the front end wall of the slot 26 of the bufng head B. As will be understood, the bufiing head, being limited in its outward movement by the retaining bolts 25-25, serves as a stop for the coupling pin 33.

The laminated plate spring D, which is disposed transversely of the end of the car, is in the form of a plurality of nested rectangular spring plates 34-35-34, which are curved in the direction of their length, as clearly shown in Figures 1 and 2. rIhe laminated plate spring D extends through the yoke C, and the opposite ends of said spring are disposed within the two sections IG-IS of the housing A. The plates forming the spring are preferably bowed inwardly, and the central portion of the group of plates forming the laminated spring bears on the end section 28 of the yoke while the opposite ends thereof bear respectively on the opposite end portions of the bufng head B.

The operation of the improved draft and buffing device, as shown in Figures 1 to 5 inclusive,

is as follows: Upon inward pressure being applied to the bufng head B, the same is forced rearwardly within the housing A, thereby compressing the laminated plate spring D against the end section 28 of the yoke which is in abutment with the end wall of the car. The laminated plate spring D is thus buttressed against the end wall of the car while being flexed and buffed. Upon a pulling or draft action being applied to the connecting coupling link 3 l, the yoke member C is pulled outwardly away from the end of the car, thereby compressing or flexing the laminated plate spring D against the bufling head B which at this time is held stationary by the limiting bolts 25-25. Outward movement of the yoke will be limited by engagement of the coupling pin 33 with the outer end wall of the slot 26 of the bufilng head B.

As will be evident, the irproved construction shown in Figures 1 to 5 inclusive provides a simple and efcient means which may be cheaply manufactured for absorbing both the buffng and draft shocks in connection with mine cars. In the arrangement of laminated plate spring wherein the same is flexed in one direction by the buffing head and in a reverse direction by the yoke member, the spring not only serves as the cushioning means but also functions as a transverse beam for transmitting the forces in both buff and draft so that a single cushioning means will fulfill the requirements. In other words, by employing the arrangement shown and described, four main parts only are necessary to produce the complete shock absorbing means, namely, the housingl the buftlng head, the yoke, and the laminated plate spring.

Referring next to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 6 and '7, the improved construction comprises broadly a housing E; a buihng head F; a yoke member G; and a laminated plate spring H. The housing E is also made of two parts, similar to the housing A, and is fixed to the end Wall I3 of the car. The bufng head F is in the form of a block telescoped within the housing and differs from the bufflng head B hereinbefore described only in that the bufng head F has a horizontally disposed, centrally arranged coupling link receiving opening 5B therein. The bufng head is connected to the housing in a manner similar to that employed in Figures 1 to 5 inclusive, the head being slotted at opposite sides, as indicated at 5|-5|, to accommodate bolts 52-52 extending through the top and bottom walls of the two parts of the housing E.

The yoke G is slidingly arranged between the two parts of the housing E and has spaced, horizontally disposed top and bottom arms 53-53 and a connecting rear end section 54. The yoke arms 53-53 embrace the buing head F and have vertically aligned coupling pin receiving openings 55-55 adapted to accommodate the coupling pin 56. The buing head is provided with an inwardly extending central slot 51, which registers with the openings 55--55 of the yoke arms and slidingly accommodates the coupling pin 56. The slot 51 of the buffing block intersects the coupling link receiving opening 50. The coupling link, which is indicated by 58, is engaged within the opening 5B of the bufng block F so that the coupling pin will pass through the link for operatively connecting the yoke thereto.

The laminated plate spring H is substantially the same as the plate spring D hereinbefore described but is provided with a central opening 59 in alignment with the link receiving opening 5i) of the bufling head F so as to accommodate the inner end of the link 58 upon inward displacement of the same and the bufling head F.

The operation of the improved mechanism shown in Figures 6 and '7 is substantially the same as that of the mechanism shown in Figures 1 to 5 inclusive.

Referring next to the embodiment of the in- The housing K comprises two parts 60-60 xed y to the end wall I3 of the car. Each housing part 5B has spaced top and bottom walls BI-SI, a vertical back wall 62, and a relatively shogrt vertical side wall 63. As clearly shown in Figures 8 and ll, the top and bottom walls extend forwardly a considerable distance beyond the side wall B3 and are provided with vertically aligned bolt receiving openings 64-64.

IThe buffing head M is in the form of a casting having a curved outer buiiing face 65. At the inner side, the bufng head is provided with a pair of spring seats 63-65 for a purpose hereinafter pointed out. At the center, the bufling head is provided with an inwardly extending slot 51 adapted to accommodate the coupling pin 68 for sliding movement. A pair of bolts 13--13 extending through the top and bottom walls of the two parts Gil-5G of the housing and through slots 1li-1li provided at opposite sides of the buflng head M connect the head to the housing and serve to limit outward movement of the buflng head and hold the same stationary in draft. Y

'Ihe yoke N is slidably disposed between the two parts Bil- 60 of the housing K, and comprises spaced top and bottom arms 69--69 connected by a vertical rear end section 10. The top arm 69 is provided with an outstanding lug 1| having a horizontal section or flange similar to the lug 29 of the yoke C hereinbefore described. The coupling link, which is indicated by 12, is accommodated between the upper arm 69 and the flange 'H of the lug and is connected to the yoke by means of the coupling pin 68, which extends through vertically aligned openings in the lug ll and the arms 69-69 of the yoke and works in the slot 61 of the bulng block M.

The bufling springs P--P are arranged at opposite sides of the mechanism and are disposed respectively in the parts Sil-6i) of the housing K. Each spring P has the outer end thereof engaged in the corresponding spring seat 66 of the bufng head M and the inner end bearing on the back wall 62 of the corresponding housing part.

The draft spring R is disposed within the yoke N .and has its opposite ends bearing respectively on the inner side of the bufling head M and the end section l0 of the yoke member.

In the operation of the improved construction as shown in Figures 8 to- 1l inclusive, upon a buiiing force being applied to the bufng head M, the same is moved inwardly to compress the bumng springs P-P and the draft spring R. Inward movement of the buffng head is limited by engagement of the inner end of said head with the front edges of the side walls 63-63 of the two parts of the housing. Upon a pulling or draft action being applied to the yoke N, the same will be drawn outwardly, thereby compressing the draft spring R against the inner side of the bufng head M, which at such times is held against outward movement by the bolts 'I3-13.

From the preceding description taken in connection with the drawings, it will be evident that I have provided a combined buing and draft device for mine cars, which may be applied to the end of a car to form a complete unit, thereby adapting the device for use in connection with either new cars or cars which are in service. In applying the combined unit to cars in service, it is merely necessary to remove the usual bumpers and coupling means from the end of the car and attach the improved unit.

I have herein shown and described what I now consider the preferred manner of carrying out my invention, but the same is merely illustrative and I contemplate all changes and modifications that come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

l. In a draft rigging for cars, the combination with a two-part housing xed to the end of the car; of a transversely disposed laminated plate spring having its opposite ends seated in said parts of the housing respectively; a buliing head telescoped within said housing and engaging the opposite ends of the spring to flex the same inwardly in buff a yoke member movable outwardly in draft, said yoke member being interposed between the two parts of the housing and embracing the laminated plate spring between the ends thereof; and abutment means on the car limiting inward movement of the yoke.

2. In a draft rigging for cars, the combination with an inwardly movable buin'ng head; of supporting means within which the buiing head is guided; means for limiting outward movement of said head; a yoke movable outwardly in draft, said yoke being slidingly supported on the builng head and having topi and bottom arms straddling said bufng head, said top arm having a connecting lug including a flange parallel to and spaced from said top arm, said arm and flange accommodating a coupling link therebetween; a coupling pin extending through said flange of the lug, the top and bottom arms of the yoke, and the bufhng head for connecting the coupling link to the yoke and also limiting outward movement of the yoke with respect to the bufng head; and spring means yieldingly opposing inward movement of the bufiing head and outward movement of the yoke.

3. In a draft rigging for cars, the combination with an inwardly movable buing head at the end of the car; of means for limiting outward movement of the builing head; a yoke slidingly supported on the bufng head and movable outwardly in draft,vsaid yoke having top and bottom arms embracing the buiiing head; coupling means on the yoke; and spring means yieldingly opposing inward movement of the builng head and outward movement of the yoke.

4. In a draft rigging for cars, the combination with an inwardly movable buing head at the end of the car, said head having a horizontally disposed coupling link receiving slot therein; of an outwardly movable yoke having top and bottom arms embracing said bufiing head and slidingly supporting the yoke on the bufling head; a coupling pin extending through said top and bottom arms of the yoke and the bung head, said pin extending across the slot of the bufng head and being engageable through the coupling link, said pin being movable in said bufng head to a limited extent in a direction lengthwise of the car; and spring means yieldingly opposing outward movement of the yoke and inward movement of the head.

5. In a draft rigging for cars, the combination with an inwardly movable buiiing head at the end of the car, said head having a horizontally disposed coupling link receiving opening therethrough and a vertical pin receiving slot communicating withsaid opening; of means for limiting outward movement of said buiiing head; an outwardly movable yoke having top and bottom arms and a connecting vertical rear end section; a coupling pin for connecting the yoke to the coupling link, said pin extending through the top and bottom arms of the yoke and the pin receiving slot of the bufng head; and a transversely disposed laminated plate spring extending through the yoke and interposed between the builng head and the vertical end section of the yoke, said laminated plate spring having a pocket in alignment with the coupling link receiving opening of the bufng head.

6. In a draft rigging for cars, the combination with a yoke at the end of the car, said yoke being movable outwardly in draft and having its inward movement limited by engagement with the corresponding end of the car; of housing members secured to the corresponding end of the car at opposite sides of the yoke, each of said housing members having spaced top and bottom walls, a vertical outer end wall, and a vertical rear wall; means for securing said rear walls of said housing members to the end Wall of the car; a buifing head telescoped within said housing members; means extending through the bufng head and the top and bottom walls of each housing member for connecting bufng head to said housing members and limiting outward movement of the bufng head; and a transversely disposed laminated plate spring eX- tending through said yoke and into said housing members and having its opposite ends bearing on the inner side of the bung head.

7. In a draft rigging for cars, the combination with a yoke at the end of the oar, said yoke being movable outwardly in draft and having its inward movement limited by engagement with the corresponding end of the car; of a bufng head movable inwardly of the car; means for limiting outward movement of the buiing head; spring means interposed between the bufling head and yoke yieldingly opposing relative movement of the head and yoke; and additional spring means opposing inward movement of the bufting head, said additional spring means being disposed at opposite sides of said first named spring means.

8. In a draft rigging for cars, the combination with a yoke at the end of the car, said yoke being movable outwardly in draft and having its inward movement limited by engagement with the corresponding end of the car; of a buffing head movable inwardly of the car; means for limiting outward movement of the bufling head; a spring within the yoke bearing on the inner side of the bufng head and yieldingly opposing outward movement of the yoke with respect to said buiing head and inward movement of the buing head with respect to the yoke; and springs at opposite sides of said yoke, each buttressed against the end of the car and bearing on the inner side of the bung head and yieldingly opposing inward movement of the bufling head.

9. In a draft rigging for oars, the combination with a support secured to the end of the car, said `support having a horizontal bottom Wall; of a buffer head slidingly supported on said bottom Wall for movement toward and away from said end of the car; fixed stops on said support at opposite sides thereof, said stops having shouldered engagement with said buffer head to limit outward movement of the head; a onepiece, integral draft member movable with respect to said buffer head, said draft member including a vertically disposed follower section and means above said follower section for receiving a coupling link to connect the draft member to another car, said follower section being in horizontal alignment with the buffer head, said means for receiving the coupling link including a pair of horizontally disposed, vertically spaced arms adapted to receive a coupling link therebetween, said arms having aligned coupler pin receiving openings forwardly of said follower section; and spring means having its front and rear ends bearing respectively on the inner side of said buffer head and the forward side of said follower section,

JOHN H. LINK. 

